Arts
The branch was one of three buildings nominated for the award, which recognizes Boston architecture built in the past decade.
The Roxbury Branch of the Boston Public Library renovation was awarded the 2024 Harleston Parker Medal at the annual Boston Society for Architecture (BSA) awards gala March 5.
The library branch, designed by Utile, Inc. in 2020, was previously nominated as one of three finalists for the award, which was created in 1921 to memorialize Boston architect J. Harleston Parker.
The medal recognizes “the most beautiful piece of architecture, building, monument, or structure built in the metropolitan Boston area in the past 10 years,” the BSA said in a press release.
The finalists were evaluated by a jury of architects, artists, designers, planners, and public servants from Boston and nationwide, according to the BSA.
The jury chose the Roxbury Branch as the winner because it “demonstrates a good model for how to transform brutalist buildings, of which Boston has so many.”
The jury also noted how the space involves the community, stating that “the project required a lot of community engagement, evident in its community-driven programming, like the Nutrition Lab.”
“Architecture isn’t just about buildings — it’s about people,” said Danyson Tavares, executive director of the BSA. “It’s about shaping environments that bring us together, foster equity, and create opportunities for everyone.”
The award marked Utile, Inc.’s first time receiving the Harleston Parker Medal, according to the BSA.
The Harvard University District Energy Facility, designed by Leers Weinzapfel Associates Architects in 2021, won the Harleston Parker People’s Choice Award, which gave the public the opportunity to vote between the three finalists, according to the BSA.
Throughout the night, the BSA and its juries bestowed a total of 23 design awards to “collectively recognize the power of the built environment to empower communities, promote change, and build a more sustainable and equitable Boston,” the BSA said.
“Exceptional design has the power to redefine what’s possible,” Tavares said. “The annual BSA Awards gala is an opportunity to celebrate that power — the creativity that fuels it, the brilliant minds who drive it forward, and the community that makes it all meaningful.”
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